Dress size vs weight?

A.I.B.U. To not understand this? - lots of people talk in terms of being a size 16 and that being overweight and others as size 16 as being a healthy weight. Some seem to say that they are maybe 15 stone and a size 16 - I don't understand the parity between weight and dress size that some people have? Do they chose the smallest size they can fit into? Do they declare their dress size as being the largest item they need to buy? Could u please tell me how you judge it - for example - I am 5'4" - 11 stone - I am pear shaped (big bum but smaller waist) skirts I buy size 14 sometimes a 16, tops size 14 (hate anything tight only arms) but trousers always have to be a 16 (sometimes an 18) so they are not tight on my bum and then usually with a belt to stop the waist gaping. I therefore declare myself to be 11 stone and a size 16. - is that right? By BMI I am overweight so from that point not healthy but only a bit (!) so am going to be personal and ask what is your height and weight and what dress size would you declare yourself to be?

People always make a face say I'm really heavy for my height and clothes size when i tell them what i weigh. I have no muscles so don't understand why I'm so heavy but wear a size 8? My boobs are 32D and still fit into size 8 tops, Im small boned as well! small shoulders and hips etc. I don't understand someone explain it to me please!

I am 5ft 5142 pounds (10 stone 2)I don't live in the UK but am a 38 in Germany which says 12 in UK. At the moment I am 12 top and bottom.I am a D cup which can be a pain getting things to fit right. I am gradually losing weight in fits and starts as I can be bothered to focus on it. A year and a half ago I was 22 pounds heavier.3 years ago I wore a 42 which is two sizes bigger so 16? I am slowly hacking off the weight from my third pregnancy (almost 7 years ago! ).

5ft 5ins and 12st 8lbs, in a 14/16 bottom and 12/14 top, feel really down as I exersise everyday but it doesn't seem to go!, mainly my arms & tummy. Tried diets & diet pills, anyone else the same? I was only 8st 6lbs 3 years ago & I don't eat any differently to then!

I should add that I found this thread because I typed in the search box something along the lines of: why am I always a larger dress size than other people my weight?

Ok, I'm big at the bust, have fairly wide hips (and a fairly large waist to match if I don't keep an eye on it) but what I can't comprehend was that even when I was at my largest - and I wasn't THAT large, BMI of 28 at the very most - I see women on TV programmes saying they're clinically obese to the extent they need stomach surgery who say that at my height they're a size 16??! Are they lying or is there another explanation?

Jennysf - you are a very small size for your weight/height. You are weighing more because you are toning up probably and increasing muscle. Distance running is great for losing weight but can make you very hungry! I would advise working on your upper body with weights/press-ups etc. By increasing the size of your upper body your proportions will improve. Forget about weight.

hello. I need HELP. I WEIGH 10 STONE 1 pound and I am 5 foot 4. I am a SIZE 6 on top and a size 8 to ten on bottom. I have no boobs at all and I am muscle all over, legs, stomach and even my bottom. However on top I am so skinny and on bottom my legs feel so heavy all the time. I just run for 1 or 2 hours a 4 to 5 times a week because I enjoy it. I thought my legs would start getting smaller, they look like they are starting to tone up but I still think they look very bulky in comparison to my body because even though I am a size 8 MY LEGS ARE MOST DEFINITELY NOT SKINNY.. HELP I feel so heavy and out of proportion?

I need HELP. I am 5 foot 4. I weigh 10 stone 1 and I am a size six on top and a comfortable 8 on bottom sometimes a 10 depending and a six to an eight in a dress. I have no boobs. My stomach and legs are really muscly. I have started running 1 to 2 hours a day, and I KEEP GETTING HEAVIER IS THIS NORMAL? or is my weight ridiculous for my size. I really feel like I have bigs legs in comparison to my body as they feel really heavy all the time.. help... will they start to get smaller or just continue getting heavier?

Hello, I was really shocked when i saw you weight and dress size.I weighted 13 stone 10 lb and was no more than a 14 am also 5" 2, i have lost 9 lb in the last 3 weeks and now weigh 13 stone 1lb, and am a 12-14 at max

BMI works for the average person but not somebody who has done a lot of exercise or sport either currently or in the past. For example Sir Steve Redgrave when he won his fifth gold medal was in the morbidly obese category accordingly to BMI calculations.

In my case I am overweight by at least 3 stone, am 5 foot 5 and still can get in to a size 16 because it's muscle in the main.

6 foot, 10 stone 12 pounds. Size 12, sometimes 14. But size 10 in Next tall range. Shop sizing is not a reliable measure of actual size. I go by Bmi,mine is about 21/22. I think how you look also depends on height, build, grooming, etc. Those so called "plus size" models, who are in reality never bigger than a 16/18 always look very slim to me.